Combined splash guard and oil separator



Feb. 16, 1960 i L KEINATH 2,925,071

COMBINED SPLASH GUARD AND OIL SEPARATOR Filed Sept. 19, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 16, 1960 R. L. KEINATH COMBINED SPLASH GUARD AND on SEPARATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Filed Sept. 19, 1957 HTTORIYEX R. L. KEINATH COMBINED SPLASH GUARD AND QIL SEPARATOR Filed Sept. 19, 1957 Feb. 16, 1960 I 4 sheets-sheet 3 I v m R. L. KEINATH COMBINED SPLASH GUARD AND OIL SEPARATOR Filed Sept. 19,1957

Feb. 16, 1960 4 Sheets-Shae; 4

&

CONIBINED SPLASH GUARD AND OIL SEPARATOR Richard L. Keinath, Royal Oak, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 19, 1957, Serial No. 685,016

4 Claims. 01. 123-41.86)

This invention relates to internal combustion engines for automotive and other uses and has particular relation to means for handling vaporous substances generated or accumulating in the various compartments comprising the interior spaces in an internal combustion engine, to shielding said vaporous substances from excessively heated parts of the engine, to separating liquids such as lubricating oil from such vaporous substances and returning such lubricating oil to the crankcase or other space within the interior of the engine, and to exhausting from the engine the air employed as a fluid carrying medium for such vaporous substances and any vaporous substances not separated nor condensed from said fluid carrying medium and not returned to the interior spaces within the engine. The interior ventilation system embodied in the engine disclosed is similar to that embodied in the engine disclosed by application S.N. 460,021, filed October 4, 1954 in the name of Adelbert E. Kolbe. The differences involve only a specific modification of the system embodying the present invention.

During the operation of an internal combustion engine lubricating oil tends to escape from the bearings and other moving parts of the engine and tends to be vaporized and atomized by the moving parts and by the heat resulting from the operation of the engine. Such vaporized and atomized lubricating oil tends to accumulate in the interior spaces of the engine. Other vaporized and atomized substances also result from the compression and expansion of fluid in the combustion chambers of the engine. Such vaporous substances tend to blow through the clearance spaces between the pistons and the cylinders and likewise tend to accumulate in the interior spaces within the engine. If air is introduced into and circulated through the interior spaces to provide a fiuid carrying medium for carrying away the undesirable vaporous substances the air also tends to carry away the atomized and vaporized lubricating oil that accumulates in the interior spaces within the engine. This makes oil consumption high and this is objectionable.

Various kinds of oil separator means have been employed to collect the oil from the vaporous substances and air within the interior spaces and to return the oil to the engine crankcase. Such separators have heretofore been expensive, not too effective and have occupied considerable space in the engine which tends to increase the height of the engine and to be otherwise objectionable.

It is now proposed to employ a baffle wall on the lower surface of the closure means embracing the inlet manifold for the engine to shield the vaporous substances in the interior of the engine from the heat employed in heating the combustible mixture supplied to the engine and to provide an oil separating chamber where the vaporous substances may expand and be cooled by the combustible mixture supplied to the engine. The cooling and expansion of the vaporous substances and air tend to separate the oil from the undesirable vaporous substances which are exhausted to the atmosphere with the air forming in 2,925,071 Patented Feb. 16, 1960 "ice the fluid carrying medium for the vaporous substances.- The separated oil is returned to the engine crankcase.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an internal com bustion engine embracing the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the middle parts of the engine showing the inlet manifold of the engine with parts thereof broken away and shown in cross sec' tion. Figure 2 is taken substantially in the plane of line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows thereon. I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sec tional view through the structure shown by Figure 2 taken substantially in the plane of line 3.3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the structure shown by Figure 2 taken substantially in the plane of line 44 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the closure means for the camshaft gallery of the engine disclosed by Figure 1. The closure means is also provided with various manifold passages for supplying the engine with combustible mixture and for heating the combustible mixtnre supplied. Parts of the closureand of the mixture supplying passages and of the heating passages and of a bathe wall forming a splash guard and interior ventilating and oil separating means embodied in the structure are broken away to better illustrate the interior construction thereof. Figure 5 is taken substantially in the plane of line 5-5 on Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the bafile wall part of the closure means embodied in the structures illustrated by the preceding figures of the drawings.

The engine 10 embodying the invention includes an engine frame 11 formed by an engine block 12, a pair of engine heads 13, and closure means indicated at 14. The closure means is secured to the sides of the heads 13 and the ends of the block 12 to provide a rigid box frame structure for absorbing stresses developed during the operation of the engine.

The block 12 is formed to providerows of cylinders 16, the outer ends of which are closed by the heads 13, the inner ends of the cylinders being in open communication with the engine crankcase 17. The upper part of the crankcase 17 is formed in the block 12 and an oil pan 18 closes the lower part of the block 12 and encloses the remaining space included within the crankcase 17. A camshaft gallery 19 is formed between the two rows of cylinders 16 and is in open communication with the crankcase through passages 21 formed in the block 12 throughout the length of the camshaft gallery 19 and the crankcase 17. The engine has a crankshaft 22 mounted in bearings formed in the block 12 and operatively connected by connecting rods 23 to pistons 24 adapted to be reciprocated Within the cylinders 16. Inlet valves 26 for the cylinders 16 control the supplying of combustible mixture to the cylinders 16 through inlet passages 27 formed in the heads 13. The inlet passages are supplied with combustible mixture by inlet manifold passage means 28 formed in the closure means 14. Carburetor or other charge forming means indicated at 29 may be employed for supplying such combustible mixture to the inlet manifold passage means 23. Exhaust valves 31 for the cylinders 16 control the exhaust of burnt gases from the cylin ders of the engine through exhaust passages 32 formed in the heads 13. Exhaust manifolds 33 connected to the exhaust passages 32 discharge the exhaust gases into. the

atmosphere. The carburetor 29 is supported on the cen tral part of the closure means 14 and communicates with the inlet manifold passages through the support part of the closure" means indicatedat 42. It is usually con- I sidered desirable to heat the manifold supply passagesbeneath the support 42 and'for this purpose heating fluid supply passage means 40 is formed in the closure means 14 to extendfrom'one of the engineheads' 1 3 tothe' other; Such heatingfluid supply passage means may employ water, exhaust gas or other means for heating the inlet manifold passage means'passingthrough the central part of the closure means 14' and in the vicinity of'the sup: port-42.

A camshaft 34 rotatably mounted in bearings formed in the block 12 operates'valve operating mechanisms indicated at 36for' operating the valves 26 and 31- in timed relation to the rotation of'th'e crankshaft '22; The cam shaft gallery 19 is in open communication through passages throughwhich push rods 37 project through the heads-13 with valve mechanism chambers 38 enclosed in the rocker arm covers '39.

The engine has the usual lubricating system for lubricating the moving parts of'the'engine and from which vaporiz'ed and atomized substances escapeduring the operation of the engine and accumulate in the interior spaces formed by the inner ends of the cylinders 16, the crankcase1'7, the camshaft gallery 19 and the valve mechanism chambers 38. Vaporous substances also accumulate in such'interior spaces as a result of the compression and expansion of fluid in the combustion chambers 41 of the engine. The fluid being compressed and expanded blows by the pistons 24 and accumulates in the interior spaces. The heat resulting from the operation of the engine heats the vaporous substances and causes the temperature of the interior spaces within the engine and the Walls forming such spaces to be high enough to tend to limit the accumulation' of lubricating oil' on the surfaces and the return of such oil by gravity to the lower part of the oil pan 18 in which the lubricant for operating the engine is contained.

To prevent this it is proposed to employ a baffle wall 43 forming an inner part of the closure 14' and secured thereto by press fitted rivets indicated at 47; The baffle wall 43' has flanges 48 at the sides thereof which are adapted to extend between the mating surfaces at the sides of the closure means and the heads and through Which the manifold passages 28 and the heating fluid supply passage means 40 extend. The flanges 48' are of about" the same thickness as the gasket means employed between these surfaces'and extend into the space between the closure means and the heads and abuts the edges of the gasket means. The edge 49 of the wall 43 at the rear end of the engine also is adapted to beclamped between the closure means '14 and the rear end wall 51. The closure means 14 is formed on the lower side thereof to'provide downwardly projecting and transversely extending webs 52 and 53 against which the baffle wall 43 is secured; The web 53 divides the wall 43 into a splash guard part 54 and an oil separator part 56. The oil separator part 56 is spaced by the webs 52 and 53 from the Tower surfaces of the closure means 14 and particularly from the surfaces of the closure means within which the heating passage means 40 is formed. This construction provides a heat insulating chamber 57 which tends to prevent the vaporous substances Within the camshaft gallery 19- from direct thermal contact with the surfaces in which the passage 40 is formed, thereby tending to prevent the vaporous substances from becoming excessive- 1y heated. The space between the oil separator part 56 of the baffle wall 43 and the outer part of the closure member 14 to which the baffle wall 43 is secured forms an oil separator chamher indicated at 58. It will be noted that one wall of the oil separator chamber is formed by apart of: the closure means.14 through which a part of the inletmanifold passage means in this part of the closure means extends. Thecombustible mixture flowing through theinlet manifoldpassage means in this part of the c'osure meanstends to'cqol-the entire upper wall of the oil-sepstates ham r- .3a:

The sides of the baffle wall 43 adjacent the rear wall 51 of the block 12 are notched as is indicated at 59 and 61 to provide vaporous fluid-inlets or inlet passage means 62 and 63 leading to the oil'separator chamber 58. The inlets 62 and 63 are formed on a shelf part 64 of the baflie 43 which is above a depressed part 66 of the baffle which is secured to the web 53' andis relatively closely spaced to the adjacent lower surfaces of the closure means 14 in which certain parts ofthe inlet manifold passage means 28 are formed. The adjacent surface of the closure means 14 above the depressed part 66' of thebaflie' wall 43 ex tends upwardly to create an expansion chamber part 67 of the oil separating chamber means 58.

A spaced pair ofwebs 68 and 69 extend into the oil separator chamber means 58 between the inlet passage means 62 and 63 and terminate at the depressed part 66 of the baflie 43 forming the expansion chamber 67. The depressed part 66 of the baflie extends outwardly be tween the web's 68' and 69 and tdward the rear wall 51 of the engine to provide outlet passage" means indicated at 71. The" rear end of the outlet passage means communicates with a cavity 72 formed at the rear end of the closure means 14 and into which a draft tube 73 pro; jects through an opening 74; The draft tube extends downwardly along" the rear'wall 51 of the engine and ter rninates in the slip stream of air that flows beneath the engine when the engine is employed in a motor vehicle of any kind. Slots 76 and 77 are cut in the depressed part 66 of the wall 43- to provide liquid substancereturn means communicating with the camshaft gallery 19'of the engine.

Air is admitted to the camshaft gallery 19 through an oil filler tube 78 located at the front of the engine and extending through the closure mean 14" and communicating with cavities opening into the interior of the timing chain cover 75 and the camshaft gallery 19*. The lower extremity" of the timing chain cover 75 communicates with the crankcase 17 of the engine. When the engine is running the engine fan will tend to blow air into air inlet through the filler tube 78 and such a flow of air also may be induced by the draft tube 73 when the vehicle with which the engine is employed is in forward motion.

flow of air is substantiallyindicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 5. The air'from the filler tube 78 will flow'into and through all of the interior spaces of the engine including the crankcase, the camshaft gallery, therocker arm chain'- be'rs, and theinner' ends of the cylinders, and will pro vide a fluid carrying medium circulating throughout the engine for carrying the vaporous substances'g'enerated and accumulating in the interior spaces within the engine; The vaporous substances and fluid carrying'medium will be shielded from the hot walls of the closure means 14 forming the heating passage means 40 for heating the intake manifold passage means 28 adjacent the central part of the closur'e means 14. This will prevent the vaporous substances and fluid carrying, medium from becoming excessively heated within the camshaft gallery 19. The fluid carrying medium and vaporous substances will flow into the'oil separating chamber 58"throughthe inlet passage means 62'and 63 and will expand in the expansion chamber 67 forming a partof the oil separating chamber means 58. In expansion chamber 67 the velocity of the fluid will decrease and the oil in suspension will tend to collect on the depressed surface 66 forming" the lower wall of the expansion chamber 67. Also" any oil not-in drops'lar'g'e enough to settle by gravity upon" the depressedwall 66 will tend to accumulate" on the cold surfaces of the'closure means 14 in which the inlet manifold passage means 28 are formed. Such cold surfaces will tend to accelerate the accumulation of large drops ofoil upon such-surfaces and these drops will tend to flow by gravity and interfacial tension-along the uppersurface-of thechamber 58 and downwardly into; the; depressed part ofthe chamber abovethe wall 66. The oil accumulating he QWFWIQQUQ?FhP4P -W l1 l9, t2 he;

shaft gallery either through the oil return 76 in the expansion chamber 67 or the oil return 77 inthe outlet passage 71. The fluid carrying medium and the vaporous substances not separated by the separating chamber means 58 will be exhausted to the atmosphere through the draft tube 73.

The claims:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame having rows of cylinders formed therein and a crankcase communicating with the open ends of said cylinders and a camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders and in open communication with said crankcase throughout the length of said camshaft gallery and said crankcase, said frame comprising an engine block containing said rows of cylinders and a pair of engine heads closing the outer ends of said cylinders and closure means secured to said heads and block and closing said camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders, inlet manifold passage means formed in said closure means and supplying combustible mixture to said cylinders for operating said engine, an air inlet formed in said frame for supplying air to said camshaft gallery and said crankcase for ventilating the vaporous substances accumulating within and resulting from the operation of said engine, oil separator chamber means formed in said closure means and having a vaporous substance inlet and a liquid sub stance return communicating with said camshaft gallery, and an outlet formed in said closure means between said oil separator chamber means and the atmosphere for exhausting said oil separator chamber means.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame having rows of cylinders formed therein and a crankcase communicating with the open ends of said cylinders and a camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders and in open communication with said crankcase throughout the length of said camshaft gallery and said crankcase, said frame comprising an engine block containing said rows of cylinders and a pair of engine heads closing the outer ends of said cylinders and closure means secured to said heads and block and closing said camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders, inlet manifold passage means formed in said closure means and supplying combustible mixture to said cylinder for operating said engine, an air inlet formed in said frame for supplying air to said camshaft gallery and said crankcase for ventilating vaporous substances accumulating within and resulting from the operation of said engine, oil separator chamber means formed in said closure means and exposed to the cooling effect of said inlet manifold passage means and having a vaporous substance inlet and a liquid substance return communicating with said camshaft gallery, and an outlet formed in said closure means between said oil separator chamber means and the atmosphere for exhausting said oil separator chamber means.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame having rows of cylinders formed therein and a crankcase communicating with the open ends of said cylinders and a camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders and in open'communication with said crankcase throughout the length of said camshaft gallery and said crankcase, said frame comprising an engine block containing said rows of cylinders and a pair of engine heads closing the outer ends of said cylinders and closure means secured to said heads and block and closing said camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders, inlet manifold passage means formed in said closure means and supplying combustible mixture to said. cylinders for operating said engine, an air inlet formed in said frame for supplying air to said camshaft gallery and said crankcase for ventilating the vaporous substances accumulating within and resulting from the operation of said engine, a bafiie wall partially forming an inner wall of said closure means adjacent said crankshaft gallery and secured between the transverse outer parts of said closure means and said heads and said block, oil separator chamber means formed in said closure means and between said baflie wall and said transverse outer parts of said closure means and having vaporous substance inlet means communicating with said camshaft gallery between said bafiie wall and said transverse outer parts of said closure means and having liquid return means communicating with said camshaft gallery through said bafiie wall and having outlet means formed in said closure means and leading to the atmosphere for exhausting said oil separator chamber means.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising, an engine frame having rows of cylinders formed therein and a crankcase communicating with the open ends of said cylinders and a camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders and in open communication with said crankcase throughout the length of said camshaft gallery and said crankcase, said frame comprising an engine block containing said rows of cylinders and a pair of engine heads closing the outer ends of said cylinders and closure means secured to said heads and block and closing said camshaft gallery between said rows of cylinders, inlet manifold passage means formed in said closure means and supplying combustible mixture to said cylinders for operating said engine, heating fluid passage means formed in said closure means adjacent the central part of said inlet manifold passage means for heating said combustible mixture supplied to said cylinder by said inlet manifold passage means, an air inlet formed in said frame for supplying air to said camshaft gallery and said crankcase for ventilating the vaporous substances accumulating within and resulting from the operation of said engine, a. baffle wall partially forming an inner wall of said closure means adjacent said camshaft gallery and secured between the transverse outer parts of said closure means and said heads and said block, a central part of said baffle wall being disposed in spaced relation to and inwardly of said heating fluid passage means and shielding said vaporous substances in said camshaft gallery from said heating fluid passage means, oil separator chamber means formed in said closure means and between an end part of said baffie wall and transverse outer parts of said closure means and having vaporous substances inlet means communicating with said camshaft gallery between said baffie wall and said transverse outer parts of said closure means and having liquid substance return means communicating with said camshaft gallery through said bafiie wall and having gaseous substance outlet means formed in said closure means and leading to the atmosphere for exhausting said chamber means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,493,617 Chabbuck Jan. 3, 1950 2,730,086 Brohn Jan. 10, 1956 2,771,065 Malcolm Nov. 20, 1956 2,797,674 Dolza July 2, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N0o 2 925 O71 February 16 1960 Richard L, Keinath Column 3 line 71. for "in this part" read 28 at one end column 6 line 8 for "crankshaft" read camshaft Signed and sealed this 23rd day of August 1960o (SEAL) Attest:

KARL FLa AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

